Russia said today it was ready to endorse a UN Security Council statement backing UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's Syrian peace mission as long it does not present an ultimatum to President Bashar al-Assad's government.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Syria's leadership had made "very many mistakes" that have aggravated the crisis in the violence-torn Middle Eastern nation.
His comments were some of Russia's toughest criticism of the Syrian government in a year of bloodshed, but he
reiterated that Dr Assad's exit should not be a precondition for a solution to the crisis.
"We believe the Syrian leadership reacted wrongly to the first appearance of peaceful protests and ... is making very
many mistakes," Mr Lavrov told Russian radio station Kommersant-FM, seeking to distance Moscow from the government.
Mr Lavrov said that "the question of who will lead Syria in a transition period" can only be decided in a dialogue involving the government and its opponents and that demanding Dr Assad resign as a condition for such a dialogue is
"unrealistic".
He said Russia, which has blocked Security Council action on Syria for months, was prepared to approve a statement or resolution supporting the efforts of UN-Arab League envoy Annan. But he added there were "at least two" conditions.
"The Security Council must approve these not as an ultimatum but ... as a basis for the continuation of efforts to reach accord between the Syrian government and all opposition groups."
A Western-drafted statement supporting Kofi Annan's peace efforts and sending a strong message to Damascus to end violence was circulated yesterday by France. Britain's UN envoy said he hoped it would be adopted on today.
Mr Annan's plan entails a ceasefire, access for humanitarian aid and political dialogue with the Syrian opposition. Mr Lavrov's remarks suggest that Russia, which has shielded Dr Assad by vetoing two Western-backed Security Council resolutions condemning his government for a year of bloodshed in which over 8,000 people have died, may seek changes to Mr Annan's text.
The draft statement's threat of "further measures" if Syria does not comply within seven days seems unpalatable to Russia.
Moscow does not want Western and Arab nations who seek Dr Assad's removal, saying his military crackdown on a popular uprising has destroyed his legitimacy, to be able to use a UN resolution to advance their visions of a solution in Syria.
Dr Assad has given Moscow its strongest foothold in the Middle East, buying billions of dollars worth of Russian arms and hosting a Mediterranean maintenance and supply facility that is Russia's only naval base outside the former Soviet Union.
Adoption of a Security Council statement or resolution with Russian support would raise pressure on Dr Assad and could help Moscow rehabilitate its image after protecting Dr Assad from condemnation with the vetoes in October and February. China, which joined Russia in both vetoes, may be eager to mend ties with Arab states it relies on for oil supplies.
Meanwhile, rebel fighters were forced to flee the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zor today in the face of a fierce army assault, suffering the latest setback in their bid to oust Dr Assad.
In a separate blow to their cause, a respected human rights group accused the armed opposition of committing torture and arbitrary executions during the 12-month uprising - charges previously only levelled at the state security apparatus.
The lightly armed rebel forces have been forced into retreat across the country in recent weeks, with the army using heavy armour to chase them from towns and cities, chalking up its latest victory in Deir al-Zor, which lies on the road to Iraq.
"Tanks entered residential neighbourhoods, especially in southeastern areas of Deir al-Zor. The Free Syrian Army pulled out to avoid a civilian massacre," a statement by the Deir al-Zor Revolution Committees Union said.
Government troops also shelled residential areas in the cities of Hama and Homs, and the nearby town of Rastan, killing at least 10 people, while a soldier died in a raid on an army checkpoint in the south, opposition sources said.
Reports from Syria cannot be independently verified because authorities have barred access to rights groups and journalists.
Reuters